Mount Pleasant Cemetery

There are two plaques at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Both can be seen on this page.

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted April, 2004

Photo by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted October, 2011

In front of the cemetery office a short distance inside the Mt. Pleasant Road entrance you will find this Ontario Heritage Trust plaque. It says:

Plaque coordinates: 43.696133 -79.383683

In 1874 the Trustees of the Toronto General Burying Grounds hired H.A. Engelhardt, who was in the forefront of landscape gardening in Canada, to plan the transformation of ravine and plateau farmland into Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Prominent in this naturalistic setting with its curving drives are E.J. Lennox's Massey Mausoleum, private mausoleums in classical temple style, the public Mount Pleasant Mausoleum designed by Darling & Pearson, and a wide variety of granite monuments. Rare trees from around the world and existing native specimens make the Cemetery a significant arboretum. Since opening in 1876, this well-known green space has provided the final resting place for many prominent people, including a Canadian prime minister and several of Ontario's premiers and lieutenant-governors.

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted August, 2007

Here at the Yonge Street entrance you will find a plaque attached to the gates. Here's what it says:

Plaque coordinates: 43.692057 -79.395055

Almost the entire 80 ha of land now comprising Mount Pleasant Cemetery extending from Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue was purchased in 1873 in what was then the Village of Deer Park. Following three years of development the first interment took place on March 13th, 1876. At that time the City of Toronto had a population of about 68,000 people with its northern boundary at Bloor Street. A toll gate stood on Gallows Hill on Yonge Street, just south of St. Clair Avenue. Much is owed to the prudence and foresight of the trustees of the Toronto General Burying Grounds of that time. By December 31st, 1965, 117,705 interments had been made in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted October 27, 2011
Self-guided tours are possible with a free map and list of notable people buried here. Stop by the office during business hours, or ask them to mail you a copy. Free walks are offered now and then (there's a "Tree Walk" on Oct. 30, at 2 pm). ROM Walks and Heritage Toronto offer walks that focus on the cemetery (varies by year), and Muddy York offers paid walking tours twice weekly and on demand. There are several Ontario premiers (3), lieutenant governors, one prime minister (King), and a Father of Confederation (Mowat) buried here. Others include mayors, sports heroes, scientists (Banting and Best), Alexander Muir ('The Maple Leaf Forever'), and those who died in notable disasters: the Noronic, Empress of Ireland, Air Canada 621. Of architectural note are the Eaton and Massey Mausoleums. The cemetery is a national historic site, designated in 2000. -Wayne

Posted September 22, 2011
This is an interesting site. I, and others, would like to learn more about the history, I.e those who are interred here,.tours would be wonderful.

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